Young and Broken
by IdeaFix
Summary: Elliot's daughter Kathleen is being abused by her mother's new husband. Will Eliot find everything out and help Kathleen? Chapter 4 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Young and Broken

Author: Chaotic Charisma

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Law and Order: SVU, but maybe someday I will. (A girl can have a dream, can't she?)

Summary: Eliot's daughter Kathleen is being abused by her mother's new husband. Will Eliot find everything out and help Kathleen?

She silently sat on the edge of her bed. The cold air could be felt everywhere around the room. Maybe, just maybe, it was the reason why she was lightly shivering… And those awful memories in her head made her feel even colder.

_"You stupid bitch! Don't you try to escape from your duty! Stop screaming or it will be your sister who gets hurt! Do you understand me?" The answer couldn't be heard. Only quiet sobs disturbed the silence. She barely could say anything; the tears were streaming all over her face. That really made him furious. "I asked a damn question! Do you understand me!" Now she was shivering uncontrollably and all she managed to whisper was a weak "Yes". Then a loud and sick laugh filled the room. "Good" he said proudly, slapping her beautiful face._

"Kathleen, honey, come down, the dinner is ready!" her mother, Kathy, said happily. After all, it was one of the rare evenings when almost the whole family could sit and eat together.

She was startled by the sound of her mom's voice. "Coming!" Kathleen said, praying, that she wouldn't have to see him there, smiling like nothing ever happened, like he never broke her soul… She wiped away the tears, took a cold shower and went downstairs. It was the time to face her biggest fears.

"Well, we are really glad that you decided to join us" Kathleen's mother said sarcastically. "Sorry, I was in the bathroom" the girl sighed.

"Kathleen, you should listen to your mother, don't make us wait too long again" John, her mother's new husband said strictly, looking straight into her eyes. For a moment Kathleen thought, that she is going to be sick. That deep cold _his_ voice made her want to throw up, but she hardly had eaten anything in the past days so the sickness wasn't so bad.

"Do you want some salad sweetheart?" Kathy offered. "No, mom thanks." She refused politely.

"Why don't you eat? Don't you understand, that you mother tried so hard to make you happy, it's your favorite food on the table!" John said angrily.

And now she couldn't take it anymore. Hot tears silently rolled down the cheeks. Kathleen hoped, that her mom wouldn't notice it.

"Oh, Kathleen, honey, what's wrong? John didn't mean it, he's just tired after work" Kathy now was really worried about her little baby crying.

"You said John? Now I see, mom, you are always on his side. Why? Why mom, can't you see anything? Can't you!" Everyone was looking at her not knowing what to say actually.

She started to sob hard and just then her sister kneeled down near Kathleen's chair to comfort her. "No, Liz, I don't need it, I don't need it!" Lizzie, not knowing what to do, backed off. No one except _him_ understood what was going on.

"Kathleen, the most important thing you _do_ need right now, is to calm down, ok?" For a moment John was really scared that she would blurt everything out.

"No, don't tell me what to do! I hate you! I hate you and everything about you!"

"That's it! Kathleen, go to your room and think about everything you said today! It's just enough from you!" her mother yelled at her.

Now Kathleen was really furious. She couldn't believe that her mother didn't notice anything suspicious about _him_. Yes, Kathleen _was _blaming her mom just as she blamed everyone else. Even herself.

Suddenly she grabbed a plate from the dinner table and threw it to the wall.

"Well, mom, guess what, I hate you too" she said calmly after a moment despite the fact that everything inside her was waiting the time to explode. And just another word from her mother mouth could make the final step.

John wanted to say something, but Kathy stopped him. "Go to your room, now. And after we all finish our dinner like a family, you'll go downstairs and wash the dishes. Is that clear?" she said without showing any emotions on her face. It was quiet for a moment.

"Yes." Kathleen tried to be as cold as her mom.

She was turning to go, but just by then she took a look straight into her mother's eyes. "He fucked me, mom."

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You see that beautiful button below? Yes, that button. Press it! I promise it will be fun!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Oh my god! **Reviews!** I love reviews! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story:)

Oh, yes… The story…

I know we all want Eliot already but… I promise he will be in the next chapter! I just had to get some things clear.

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"Oh my god, who? What… what are you talking about?" Kathy was shocked and deep inside she hoped, that it was just another Kathleen's joke.

"So, this is how you're trying to get some attention now!" John yelled furiously. "Go upstairs immediately! I want you to _think about the consequences _of this conversation!"

"And your lies!" He added after a moment, looking into her scared eyes.

Kathleen started to cry all over again while Kathy sent Elisabeth to her room and tried to calm down John.

"Mom, it's true, I'm not lying, I swear!" Kathleen sobbed, so it was hard to understand almost every word that came from her mouth. The atmosphere in the house was so tense, that it could be felt in the air. Kathy left John sitting on the couch and blaming Kathleen for lying.

She went towards her daughter. "Sweetie, everything's fine, just calm down and take a few deep breaths, ok?" She sat down near Kathleen on the stairs and hugged her.

The girl still cried and couldn't do anything to stop it. "I… I… I'm not… lying, mom!" was all she managed to say.

"Don't make up things Kathleen, you're just making your mother and me upset, don't you understand!" John shouted before standing from the couch.

"John, enough, not now," Kathy said with a concerned look in her eyes. "Not now? She needs help, Kathy!"

"Shut up… Shut up! I don't need help! It's you the one who needs help! You are sick bastard!" Kathleen was yelling and crying at the same moment.

"Shhh… Kathleen, honey, it's ok…" Kathy rocked her daughter back and forth while she mouthed John to go out of the dining room.

"But..." he wanted to protest. "No buts, John, go. Now," interrupted Kathy.

When John loudly shut the door behind him, Kathleen's sobs quieted down. Kathy carefully approached her daughter. "Sweetheart, can we talk?"

"I don't want to, mom," she whispered into her chest as her mother was still holding the girl. Kathleen thought that she made a mistake talking about _it_ loudly. No one was supposed to know her secret. And no one would believe, though.

"If you don't talk to me now, we will talk tomorrow, ok? But we have to talk, Kathleen," her mother said as a matter of fact. "We don't understand what happened to you and we want to help. John is a part of our family now and you should respect him, he didn't deserve these words from your mouth".

_He did, mom… He did… He's the one who torn me apart…_

"And Kathleen," Kathy lifted Kathleen's chin up "If someone really hurt you, tell me. I need to know".

"No, mom… I… I didn't know what I was saying. I'm so sorry. I ruined everything. It's all my fault," Kathleen quietly said to Kathy while she wiped away her daughter's tears.

"Everything's going to be ok," Kathy reassured Kathleen. "We'll talk later. Now we all need to get some sleep".

"Ok, mom" Kathy went along with Kathleen to her room and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart" Kathleen's mother whispered to her and went towards Lizzie's bedroom. Anyway Kathleen couldn't get any sleep till the early morning of the next day. The awful memories and the events of the evening kept running in her head. She couldn't do anything but cover her face with a blanket and cry. Again.

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It was raining outside in the morning. Everyone knew it would be a definitely heavy day. Kathleen silently got out of the bed and went to the bathroom. After that she grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen table and slipped away.

"Good morning, honey," John said drowsily to his wife. "Did you sleep well?"

"Actually… No, John," Kathy muttered. "I'm really concerned about Kathleen," she said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Oh… Yeah, me too." It was obvious that John wanted to end this conversation.

"Don't you think I should talk to Eliot about her? After all, Kathleen is his daughter." Kathy asked John for advice.

"What? Baby, don't exaggerate it, Kathleen's only a teenager" John was careful and didn't want that Kathleen would tell everything to her father.

"I don't know, John… What she was talking yesterday… Well, it sounded serious. I'll talk to her today" Kathy thought for a moment. "And I consider taking her to the psychologist. She's been so upset in the past days. And she's not eating".

After these words John felt vulnerable. What if accidentally his secret would be revealed?

_No, it won't happen. Kathleen will keep her mouth shut. I'm sure. I'll talk to her first… _John thought to himself.

"You decide. Honestly, I think it's just the teen years" he ensured Kathy.

"Well, yesterday you said that Kathleen needed help so I thought about it. And I think she really does." Kathy went downstairs to make some breakfast for her daughters before John could reply anything.

"Lizzie, Kathleen! Come down, the breakfast is ready!" Kathy called girls. It was quiet at first. "Sleepyheads! Hurry up, you'll be late to school again!"

"Mom… Can I stay home today? I really feel like I have a fever…" a sleepy voice from upstairs could be heard.

"No, sweetie, the last time you said you had a fever was yesterday. You are not fooling me again!" Kathy said smiling to herself.

Finally Elisabeth came down and joyfully put a pancake in her plate. She and Kathy talked about random things while eating, including Kathleen's outburst.

"By the way, is Kathleen still sleeping?" Kathy asked curiously.

"No, she got up earlier this morning and went to school, I heard the steps," Lizzie explained.

"Oh. Well, Lizzie it's your time to go now. Don't forget your lunchbox!" Kathy tried to hide her surprise and disappointment too.

"Will Dickie go to school today? Because if not,"

"Lizzie, don't be silly, of course he will. His classmate's Erick's father will drive him. You'll meet Dickie at school".

"Ok. Bye mommy, love you!" "Love you too, honey," Kathy gave Elisabeth a kiss before John drove her to school.

At last Kathy was alone in the apartment. Tears silently welled up in her eyes. Kathleen was keeping her at a distance and there was nothing she could do.

In the afternoon Kathleen was heading towards home as she saw John sitting in the armchair near the front door of the house. He was reading a newspaper. Or pretended to be reading. Kathleen wanted to run, run and never stop, never have to look back.

Unfortunately John noticed her.

"Come here, Kathleen," he told her putting the paper aside. His voice was quiet yet strong.

She trembled.

_I can't take it anymore… I just want to die…_

Kathleen took a look around. No one could be seen. If John had wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already. But he just sat there and stared at her.

"Don't try my patience. Come here," he repeated feeling even more self-confident.

Kathleen thought she is going to faint as she slowly approached John.

"Good. Now listen." He made a pause looking into her scared eyes becoming wet. "If someone finds out our _secret,_ I'll be forced to hurt you once again." John smiled.

"Or I'll try _it _with your sister. Yes… That could be fun. Don't you think so?"

Kathleen noticed his smile becoming bigger. She wanted to kill him but she just stood there, frozen, all in tears.

"Now go inside. Your mother is worrying about you," John said wiping her tears with his thumb.

_Don't touch me…Leave me alone in my world…Please…_

Her mother was sitting on the couch holding a phone in the hand.

"Hi, mom." She greeted Kathy still silently crying. "I'll… I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"I need you now. Sit down, Kathleen. We are going to have a long conversation," Kathy sounded very serious and it frightened the girl.

"I… I really don't think that we need to talk. What happened yesterday… Well, it won't repeat again. I promise, ok?" Kathleen responded in a tremulous voice.

"Your teacher called. You are skipping the school for about a week, aren't you?" Kathleen's mother looked concerned but it was evident that Kathy was really angry.

"You are not eating, not talking to us lately and now you decided to skip the school? What's happening, Kathleen?"

Kathleen was silent. Her lips were trembling and she nervously looked around the room searching for John. Noticing that he stayed outside she let out a sigh of relief.

"Kathleen, it's not a joke. Now you must explain everything, including the things you said yesterday."

"Mom, don't you get it? What I said yesterday… it made absolutely no sense! I was just trying to get some attention from you! That's all!" she yelled standing from the chair in front of the couch where her mother was sitting.

"We are not over yet," Kathy was totally lost as she saw her daughter running through the door. "Kathleen! Where do you think you are going?" The answer couldn't be heard.

Just as she ran through the front door, John came in. "So, what happened? Did you talk to her?"

Kathy sighed. "I don't know what to do, John. Kathleen said that she was just trying to get some attention. And I think she isn't lying. I was just too busy…" she felt guilty not paying enough attention to her kids.

"Hey… Honey, it's not your fault," John calmed Kathy as he sat near her.

"No, John, it is my fault." She sank deep in her thoughts. "You know, I called to a good family friend who is psychologist and he explained everything to me. Well, not exactly explained,"

"What did he say?" John interrupted curiously.

"He guessed that the divorce and moving to the new house could have affected her really badly. You see, John, she misses Eliot a lot. And what she said yesterday," Kathy stopped gathering her thoughts.

"What about yesterday, honey?" John felt his heart started to beat faster than normal.

"It's just crazy, really…He said… He said that at the back of her mind she seeks attention from Eliot, too." Kathy shivered.

"You see, El gives all his attention to the rape victims and… that's why Kathleen said these… these words yesterday," she whispered the last sentence.

"We'll help her, Kathy, I promise…" John hugged his wife, pleasantly surprised by the words psychologist has said.

"I hope so… Listen, we really need to find Kathleen," suddenly Kathy's voice became louder.

"Don't worry, Kathy, she'll come back soon… Kathleen just needs some time alone. It's going to be ok," John said still holding his wife. Smiling to himself.

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Kathleen spent her time sitting on the bench in the park. Raindrops gently touched her face but she didn't cry anymore. After the moment Kathleen quietly stood up and started to walk. She needed only one person right now.

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Did I mention that I love reviews? I really did? Oh. Ok then… :)


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Ahhh, reviews just inspire me to keep writing. Thanks to everyone. And yeah, I'm not native English speaker so please point out my grammar/spelling mistakes if you see any. I really want to improve my knowledge of English.

I hope you the story won't disappoint you:)

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A loud knock on the door disturbed silence. Eliot went to open it wondering who it might be. The door opened and he froze. Kathleen, his precious daughter, stood there dripping wet. It was obvious that she was on the verge of tears.

"Kathleen, honey, come in," he said concerned, closing the door behind.

"Hi daddy," she greeted Eliot shyly as she sat on his couch.

"Sweetie, something happened?" her father asked gently, putting a blanket on her shoulders.

"No… No, dad," she paused. "Everything's ok, really. I… I wanted to see you, that's all," Kathleen said weakly and looked down. Her eyes were becoming wet and she just didn't want Eliot to see her like this. Not now. Not today.

_I must be strong… For my sister… For me…_

"Kathleen, look at me," Eliot lifted her chin up. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Dad," she stood up and walked to the window wiping away the tears. "I told you, nothing's wrong. I just… missed you."

"I missed you, too, sweetheart," Eliot said in a soft voice. "But does your mother know that you're here? It's late."

"No," Kathleen was still looking through the window. "We had an argument. And dad, I really don't want to see her right now," she said turning to her father.

"It's ok, Kathleen, but you should call her. Your mother might be worrying about you," Eliot was really serious this time.

"No, dad, please, I don't want to talk to her," she sat next to her father and curled up in a ball.

Eliot looked confused.

"Sweetie, I'll call her whether you want it or not. I can talk to her if you don't want to," Eliot stood up to reach for the phone as he saw Kathleen bursting into tears.

He carefully kneeled down to her and took Kathleen's hand into his.

"Honey, it's alright…" Eliot stroked her hair tenderly. "Is it about the argument?"

Kathleen didn't answer because she just couldn't stop sobbing. Eliot sat down on the couch, gently took her in his arms and let Kathleen cry on his shoulder.

After a brief moment she quieted down and now rested her head on Eliot's chest.

"Sweetheart?" Eliot softly asked Kathleen. "What did your mother and you argue about, can you tell me?"

Kathleen didn't say anything at first. She just listened to her father's heartbeat as it helped her to relax.

After a minute she quietly muttered, "It's about school," Kathleen sighed. "I didn't go to school for a week, dad."

Eliot softly pulled away from her. He wanted to see Kathleen's face, "But why, sweetie?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said pleadingly.

Eliot understood the main thing in that situation was not to push her daughter because she was really exhausted and tired. He didn't want to provoke another breakdown.

"Ok. You can tell me when you're ready, Kathleen," Eliot reassured her.

Finally Kathleen calmed down. They ended up talking about each other. With a smile on his face Eliot remembered his life with kids. And now he felt like these days came back. Kathleen was sitting by his side and Eliot wanted to _protect _his baby from the whole world, hold her tightly. Never let go.

Eventually both- daughter and father- quietly fell asleep. It was the first time Kathleen felt save. _Protected._

In the middle of the night Eliot was startled by the sound of his mobile phone.

"Stabler," he said without looking who has called.

"Kathy, calm down. She's with me, sleeping. Everything's alright," Eliot wasn't surprised to hear familiar voice.

"No, Kathy. Listen, I really wanted to call you. It's more complicated than you think," he sighed. Eliot understood that Kathy was really worried about Kathleen. Now he blamed himself for not calling her. Eliot would have done it if he hadn't fallen asleep.

The conversation between Kathleen's parents continued as Kathy told Eliot everything about their daughter. He was shocked.

"What? Are you trying to say that Kathleen's making things up? Kathy, she has never lied to us!" Eliot tried to keep his voice low but he couldn't hide his concern and anger from Kathy.

"Ok. Ok, Kathy, I'll talk to her," his voice sounded serious yet tired.

"Tomorrow. I'll be waiting. Take care, Kathy," Eliot convinced her to go to sleep and come tomorrow. Kathleen needed support from both of her parents.

When Kathy hung up Eliot gently took Kathleen in his arms and carried her to his bed. He covered his daughter with a warm blanket, kissed on the forehead and quietly went to the kitchen.

Eliot sat in complete silence trying to collect his thoughts. What if Kathleen wasn't lying when she said to Kathy that someone has raped her? What if she is going through unbearable pain right now? Then everything in his world would fall apart. Everything. Eliot always tried to keep his family safe. Was it worthless?

_No. She's just lost… It can't be true… No._

Suddenly a scream from his bedroom disturbed the stillness.

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Please review :)


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews, you're amazing readers. And I'm incredibly sorry, I didn't update my story for… let's see… a month? Shame on me. The main reason I didn't update was (oh, well, you have the right to know) my laziness. And _yes,_ it's not an excuse, I know.:)

So, back to the story… In this chapter Kathleen tells Elliot about her rape.

Happy reading, everyone!

And, btw, idinakristinfan, your review made me smile.:)

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Elliot was startled. He immediately ran to his bedroom.

"NO... LEAVE ME ALONE!.. NO! .." Kathleen was screaming and kicking the blanket from herself, moving her head to the sides.

"Honey… Honey, it's ok… Shhh…" Elliot took her in his arms trying to calm his daughter down.

It seemed that his efforts were worthless. Kathleen was frantic. She still screamed and tried to push Elliot away.

"Kathleen, listen to me, it's all right… It was just a bad dream. It's all right… Everything's ok… Shhh…" Elliot held his daughter tightly letting Kathleen know that he was there for her.

Elliot _was_ afraid. Afraid of the worst. Anger, fear and concern could be seen in his deep blue gaze.

_Fear._

He tried to talk to her but she couldn't say a word. For a while they were sitting in complete silence. He could feel only her shivering body and quiet sobs.

Elliot wanted so badly to take her pain away, to make everything all right. He just silently cried instead, rocking her to sleep.

"Who… Who, honey?…" he gently whispered into her hair. Sadly, he could hear no answer, only steady breathing of his sleeping daughter.

His little baby was hurt. It was more than he could take.

_Anger._

It was five o'clock in the morning. Kathleen has been sleeping for almost an hour. It was an uneasy sleep though. Her whole body was trembling. Just as Elliot's lips. He held her tightly trying to stop his own tears.

"Dad," he heard a quiet whisper.

"I am here honey, it's all right…" Elliot softly whispered back kissing her hair.

"John," she managed to say in silence.

"Sweetie? What about him?" he felt his heart pounding faster with each moment.

"John." Kathleen repeated. "It's _him_," she closed her eyes fighting the urge to cry.

It was quiet at first. Neither Kathleen, nor Elliot said a word. He only tightened his grip feeling his daughter fear and confusion.

"What did he do? Just tell me, honey, I need… I need to know," he finally asked obviously searching for the right words. Both of them knew this conversation isn't going to be easy.

Kathleen burst into tears silently cursing herself for telling this to Elliot.

"Isn't… isn't it obvious, dad?" suddenly she stood up and started going towards the door.

"No, honey, wait. Please, Kathleen, just talk to me," Elliot sat on the edge of the bed looking at his _broken_ daughter. She didn't say anything despite her desperate wish to tell him how she felt. Kathleen couldn't deal with it alone, she needed help.

"I can't… I can't, dad, I can't…" she turned around to face her father. Kathleen wasn't crying anymore. "I just can't," with these words she left the room. After a brief moment he heard her steps outside the house.

"Kathleen! Honey, please… Wait!" he ran outside and saw Kathleen going down the street. Elliot rushed after her.

"Kathleen, please! Honey, it's ok," he caught Kathleen and right then she collapsed in his arms.

"It's ok… It's ok," Elliot soothed Kathleen holding her tightly. Only his whispers seemed to calm his daughter down. Kathleen was in pain and so was Elliot. They both stood in the dark and cold night embracing each other, facing their biggest demons.

After a while they went inside not saying a word. It wasn't the right time to talk. Not yet. Neither for Kathleen, nor for Elliot.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Kathleen said eating her breakfast.

"For what, honey?" Elliot asked confused and surprised.

"You know… The running and all…" she looked at him with a hint of embarrassment in her face.

"There's no need to be sorry for that. It's no big deal," he kissed her forehead smiling. It was quiet for a minute. Suddenly Kathleen changed the subject of talking.

"Dad, I… You… need to know," she started nervously, looking down at the table. He sat next to her with a worried look.

Kathleen took a deep breath.

"John… he… he raped me," she hardly managed to say that sentence. Her eyes became wet. "I'm so sorry, dad," she whispered after the moment.

_Silence_

He didn't want to hear these words. Elliot wasn't ready for this though he knew it already. No.

"Son of the bitch! I'll kill him!" his mind finally registered the sentence. Anger overwhelmed Elliot. He didn't even noticed as his fist pounded the table and made Kathleen jump.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, dad," she started to sob looking at her furious father.

"Oh, honey, no… It's not your fault…" he hugged Kathleen feeling her shivering body.

"_I'm sorry,_"he whispered. "It'll be ok, I promise. It'll be ok…" he stroked her hair trying to chase away his own need to cry.

"I'm so… so scared, daddy," she whispered between the sobs keeping her head buried in her father's chest.

_I know, honey… I know._


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